The post-budget announcement to cost the State ₹1,200 cr.

Just days after Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam presented a “financially prudent” budget sans any populist schemes, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Monday suo motu announced a one-time, special financial assistance of ₹2,000 for every Below Poverty Line (BPL) family in the State. Sixty lakh families are eligible for the assistance.

The cash dole ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, costing the exchequer ₹1,200 crore, comes less than a month after the government distributed ₹1,000 as Pongal gift to most ration card holders resulting in an outgo of around ₹1,900 crore.

Making a statement under Rule 110 of the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Palaniswami said the special financial assistance was being extended to BPL families “in view of the damages caused by cyclone Gaja and the ongoing drought due to the failure of monsoon.”

As many as 35 lakh families in rural areas and 25 lakh families in urban constituencies would receive the dole. “A sum of ₹1,200 crore would be allocated in the demand for grants in the supplementary budget for 2018-19,” Mr. Palaniswami said.